It is debatable whether the Yakuza franchise has been worse off since prominent figures Toshihiro Nagoshi and Daisuke Sato departed developer Ryu ga Gotoku Studio in 2021. The turn-based format that started with Yakuza: Like a Dragon and continued with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth resulted in the latter being viewed by many as one of the series’ best titles to date, but questionable approaches to story have diluted a series that is known for impactful narratives.
Yakuza 3 has arguably long needed the Kiwami treatment that Yakuza and Yakuza 2 have both received, bringing them into a more comfortable and playable shape, and so there is a lot of anticipation that this somewhat overlooked entry now gets that modern makeover. Bolted on is a side story that forms the twin pack that is Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties.
Having endured a brutal time as a member of organised crime outfit the Tojo Clan, Kazuma Kiryu seeks a quiet life by the ocean, protecting the kids at Morning Glory orphanage. In and of itself this is a heartwarming setup for a man that has seen it all and lost his own parents as a child; a noble cause that many can relate to. Given this is Yakuza, of course, Kiryu’s peace won’t stay this way for very long, but the opening acts humanise him in ways only this franchise knows best.
Yakuza 3’s opening hours were always on the slow end, but it felt necessary in order to double down on grounding Kiryu’s character. In Yakuza Kiwami 3, the segments at the orphanage have strengthened the connection between the kids and “Uncle Kaz” by adding a plethora of minigames that relate to each child’s personalities.
It is impossible not to delight at the joy these kids feel as Kiryu helps with their homework by circling correct answers in a quiz, whisks eggs in a bowl by waggling the control stick around, stitches clothes with a sewing machine, and yes, everyone’s favourite, hunting for dinner in a fishing minigame. Although they don’t always hit the mark and can be basic at their core, these activities go a long way to building a bond that only further impacts the plot that follows.
Kiryu gets caught up in underworld political matters once more, as an organisation moves in on an attempt to buy up the land the orphanage sits on. With the Tojo Clan’s president lying in hospital, shot by a man that was supposed to be dead – Kiryu’s own father figure – the Dragon of Dojima gets caught between this power struggle, and sucked right back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind.
Between Tokyo and Okinawa, Kiryu naturally has all the distractions he desires at his fingertips. Yakuza has always had a reputation for its off-the-wall substories and sheer wealth of entertaining side activities, and that is no different here. Karaoke, darts, pool, golf, baseball, bowling, mahjong – it’s all here.
Emergency Call Ambulance, as one of Sega’s many 90s arcade games, quickly proved to be a personal favourite. Heck, Kiryu even has access to a Game Gear, able to get a hold of classics such as Sonic & Tails, The GG Shinobi, Columns, and a few Bandai Namco products like Pac-Man to round it off.
One major new questline involves Kiryu becoming the leader of a female biker gang wishing to rise to the top of Japan’s streets. Roped into the action, players can decorate their crew and motorcycles in lavish colours and designs, before taking on rivals in skirmishes and brawls consisting of over-the-top weapons. It is once again another fine example of Yakuza wearing its Japanese role-playing game influences on its sleeve, doing things only video games can get away with by meshing serious storylines with absurdly comical side content.
There is no shortage of fun available, with Ryu ga Gotoku Studio having fully embraced the zaniness of the side quests on offer – but something is amiss. Whereas there were over a hundred substories to complete in the original game, Yakuza Kiwami 3 has cut that down tremendously to just over 30. For a series that is known for its bloat outside of the main story, it’s debatable if this is a good thing.
Yakuza games can be overwhelming in their volume, but when it comes to optional content – especially stuff that’s inoffensive and on the humorous side – it shouldn’t hurt to carry this over. Instead, there is a lot now confined to the original game and its remaster – and since this is Sega, Yakuza 3 Remastered is only available through the expensive Yakuza Remastered Collection.
Even one of Yakuza 3’s top tier features, Revelations, in which Kiryu would randomly come across hysterical events in the streets, learning a new move in the process, is absent. The mobile phone-related activity introduced in Kiwami 3 sees him exchanging details with passersby, earning charms and decals to decorate his phone with, but it isn’t as interesting or worthwhile.
There are new substories woven into the proceedings, but it is hard not to feel shortchanged by all of this. Yakuza 3 wasn’t the longest main quest in the series, but stripping down the side content doesn’t come across as a major benefit to anyone other than to make it easier for completionists to tick off all the boxes.
Thankfully, the combat that sticks to the original game’s active battles maintains its excitement, and is crunchier, more compelling, and smoother than ever. Between multiple fighting styles, Kiryu is capable of his usual hard-hitting power moves, as well as comical weapons-based arts that showcase Yakuza at its best. It may not prove too much of a challenge even on the hardest difficulty setting, but there is no denying the satisfaction of pounding a punk with a traffic cone, slamming a motorcycle over their head, or whacking them in the face with nunchaku.
How seriously players decide to take any Yakuza storyline is up to them, but there is a growing feeling of discontent with recent entries and the paths being taken. Notably, it is in the retconning of previously dead characters that is rubbing the wrong way. It has happened on multiple occasions, most recently with Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, and the same has been done once more with Yakuza Kiwami 3.
It begs the question of why Ryu ga Gotoku Studio feels the need to alter the canon of the series while going out of the way to lock many people out of the original storyline as Yakuza 3 is made more difficult to access. With such major plot changes being made to these games, RGGS is making it harder to invest in the emotional journeys of the characters, with deaths being met with a shrug as if to assume they didn’t die after all and expecting that they’ll probably be seen in the next new or remade title.
Deaths used to mean something in this series, and they brought with them the kinds of emotion not usually or successfully demonstrated in video games. They were reminders that life isn’t eternal and shaped the characters into who they are. By extent, these moments affect players in numerous ways. By undoing that, RGGS runs the risk of losing a huge part of what makes the storylines so influential and meaningful.
Dark Ties doesn’t really make up for the changes and losses of the main quest. This bitesize adventure sees players taking the role of antagonist Yoshitaka Mine and witnessing his rise through the ranks of the Tojo Clan prior to Yakuza 3’s events. Keen on finding out for himself just why so many members of the group put their life on the line for chairman Daigo Dojima, Mine sides with sleazeball Tsuyoshi Kanda, bringing in wealth using methods others don’t dare to try.
The structure is the same as the core game, with Mine strolling the streets of Kamurocho, getting involved in brawls, competing in side activities, and progressing the story whenever he feels like it. Combat remains the absolute best part of this short-lived plotline, where Mine’s combos take on a dirtier and more airborne approach, leaping into the air and booting opponents like footballs.
A primary activity that Mine is encouraged to take part in sees him doing “good deeds” in the name of Kanda. Since the nasty good-for-nothing doesn’t want to legitimately boost his reputation, he tasks Mine to get out onto the streets, solving citizens’ problems, beating up thugs, performing well in minigames, and doing a host of other requests for him. In many ways, this feels like the meat of Dark Ties’ content, although the underground fight club is the better activity.
This arena pits Mine against the most savage and bloodthirsty brawlers around, with handicaps making it about more than just pummelling foes one after the other. Man-to-man combat is one thing, but survival battles that see Mine being constantly chased put a unique spin on enemy engagements. Attempting to find treasures that can reward in weapons and allies, it’s a rush to make it through these challenges, where bosses await those that endure long enough.
Despite the entertainment that can be found in Mine’s adventure, it is difficult to justify its existence. It offers very little that couldn’t potentially have been squeezed into Kiryu’s quest, and if there was a choice of sacrificing Dark Ties in order to recover the cut content of the original game, it would be a fairly easy decision to make.
Factoring in facial changes for characters whose actors have changed, and a controversial casting choice, it compounds a mixed feeling to how the long-awaited remake of Yakuza 3 has played out. There are enough differences that Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties can be viewed as an alternative to the original, but it shouldn’t be seen as a replacement. Pros and cons exist for both versions and fans should be allowed to make the choice to easily access one as much as the other.
